Liability Concerns

When one wishes to construct a building, the typical first step in the process involves securing an Architect to oversee the building design and construction. Some liability with respect to the building is then shared with the Architectural firm in the event of a disaster.

In turn, the Architect hires a Structural Engineer to design a sound structure, which will withstand the structural and wind load requirements of applicable building codes. This Structural Engineer could possibly share liability in the building as well.

Disaster Strikes

After a building disaster has occurred, a forensic survey of the walls which are laid on the ground may reveal inadequate grouting, for example. At that moment, the building's owner would like to have been previously aware of such inadequacies, and acted to correct any faulty construction that occurred during the building process.

The building owner may subsequently be held liable for damage to property and/or loss of life as a result of the disaster. An Insurance company is typically found to insure the construction, however, and may have a role in dealing with the post-disaster situation.

Liability Distribution

In some cases, a construction management team is hired to ensure that the project runs smoothly, on time and on budget. A General Contractor is engaged to oversee construction and provide a warranty, usually for a period of one year, against defects in materials and/or workmanship with respect to the building project.

The General Contractor usually hires a masonry contractor to build the
masonry walls according to the technical drawings and specifications.
At this point, the building's owner has distributed the liability of acquiring a building that meets applicable building code requirements, and which will be of adequate quality for the owner's purposes.

Some of the General Contractors pass on a portion of their liability by hiring a testing company to "sign off" on the building as having met the design specifications.

The fundamental problem with assuring safety, and quality of the building lies in specifications which often do not call for the inspection, or testing of all walls, but rather only a sampling of the walls.

Timing is key to the success of many IR applications, and CMU walls are no exception. Differences in the mass of grouted, empty and insulated cells, allow the surface temperature to cycle twice over the course of 24 hours.